


Advent 21

by darksquall, lanapanda



Series: Science Boys Advent 2012 [6]
Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, advent fic, fluff fluff fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-20 23:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darksquall/pseuds/darksquall, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanapanda/pseuds/lanapanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small experiment for the boys. It's just a different type of chemistry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advent 21

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters and places contained herein do not belong to me and I am making no money from this.
> 
> (Sorry we're a little late. RL happened, but we'll try and catch up asap!)

They'd snuck out of work a little early. Pepper was easily mollified sated with the reports Bruce had spent much of the morning working on, and an excuse about it being something to do with the wedding. Really it was about the wedding --, they had an experiment to run --, but it was partly to get out of an interminably boring meeting with a couple of the department heads.

They'd taken the elevator up to the penthouse, and Tony had ditched his tie the very instant they were through the door, then and grinned at him mischievously. It was the first time that Bruce had ever ditched work with Tony to bake. Hell, it was probably the first time he'd ditched work with Tony for anything that didn't involve finding the nearest bed and lingering in it for several hours. Their stolen days tended to include Touching each other, kissing, making love, or anything that did not involve mixing bowls and preheated ovens. But today, Tony had led him into the kitchen, almost bouncing with every step.

"Still not so sure about this," Bruce admitted. He trusted Tony's abilities in the kitchen, really. His own however were rather lacking. Sure he knew enough to keep himself fed and it wasn't like he was bad enough to set the pasta on fire - that had been when Tony had introduced Thor to ordering take out instead of trying to teach him how to make spaghetti - but he'd never baked. He'd never even had the urge to. Really for a long time Bruce he wouldn't have been able to even if he'd wanted to.

"Bruce," Tony said patiently, his brown eyes focused intently on his fiancé, "It's just chemistry with food. It'll be fine, honest."

"Right, I'll remind you of that later," Bruce shook his head.

"Are you going to tell me that you're afraid of a little baking soda and flour?"

Bruce wasn't afraid of cooking. Nothing quite as odd as that. He was a little worried about screwing it up if he was honest with himself, but not afraid of the actual act of cooking. "I just don't have much confidence in my abilities with an oven."

"Well, the oven does all the chemical reaction-ing. You - or rather, we - just need to do the mixing in the right proportions beforehand. I've done this before, we'll be fine," Tony ditched his suit jacket, hanging it on the back of the kitchen door and then heading to the sink moving to wash his hands.

Bruce watched him moving around the kitchen, gathering the hardware. Mixing bowls, spoons, pans and the like. He took a moment to wash his hands as Tony pulled up a virtual screen and selected the recipe that he wanted to use. Finally he took his place at Tony's side, the place where he was supposed to be. The place where Tony wanted him. "I'm sensing that you want to see me in an apron instead of a lab coat."

"Mm," Tony leaned against him happily, just for a moment to enjoy the contact, the closeness. It was the little moments like that that had made Bruce fall for him completely. The most precious things like the way Tony had looked him in the eye from the first moment, never looking for the green, just looking straight into his soul. Seeing what could be. He grinned up at Bruce, "No distracting me with sexy mental images while we're on a mission.,"

"Baking missions? Interesting."

"A mission, a..." Tony gestured, searching for the right word. He grinned again when it fell into his grasp. "A prototype. If we're going to make our own wedding the cake then we have to do a trial run." He curled against Bruce briefly as he thought about their upcoming wedding, eyes closing just for a moment before he straightened again. "Okay. Ingredient list coming up. You think you can handle pantry duty, doctor?"

"Sure," Bruce kissed Tony's temple and ditched his jacket shirt as well before he moved to the cupboard. "Go ahead. Call it out."

"Plain flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder," Tony rattled off the ingredients quickly and Bruce picked them out one by one, lining them up precisely. Unfortunately he didn’t notice the small mistake he’d made – picking self-rising flour instead of plain, and Tony was entirely too caught up in his recipe to spot the minor difference in the label.

"Okay, now the stuff from the fridge. Eggs, milk, butter," Tony turned to address the oven itself. "Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit." An icon flickered up on the screen and flashed to let Tony know that it had heard his orders and was currently heating up as instructed. Tony glanced around one more time and grinned, satisfied that everything was in order. "Now we... grease the pans."

"That sounds so suggestive," Bruce shook his head. Tony's little eyebrow wiggle hadn't helped in the slightest.

"A lot of baking terminology is very suggestive. Creaming the butter and sugar, for instance. Whipping eggs into stiff peaks."

"I see a whole new way of being suggestive in the office unfolding before us," Bruce chuckled.

"And we haven't even gotten to the batter licking portion of our program," Tony laughed and washed his hands one last time before he and demonstrated how to grease the pans, talking Bruce through the action. Bruce wrapped his arms around Tony, leaning against him with his chin on Tony’s shoulder and watching. It was more an excuse to be as close to Tony as possible, to feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt, to smell the soothing spiced cider scent of his aftershave. Tony relaxed back against him too, tipping his head just enough to see Bruce's expression. "So, what do you think so far?"

"I think I like the part where I get to cuddle you while you work," Bruce replied honestly, kissing Tony at the corner of his mouth.

"Mm," Tony cleared his throat and pretended he wasn't blushing intensely. "Not... officially part of the recipe, but I'm not complaining in the least."

The innocent intimacies had never been Tony's forte really. - Tony had been perfect and wonderful and engaging in the bedroom (and the lounge, the den, the shower... even the elevator once or twice) but the tenderness and the loving gestures had left him blushing like a schoolboy the entire time they'd been together. He just wasn't used to that kind of thing. Bruce thought it was awful that someone so responsive and caring could ever be as starved for touches and attention as Tony had been. "Mm, you need a hand?"

"What kind of a hand are you offering, Bruce?" Tony set the pan he'd been working on down and picked up the next.

"Just a hand getting things properly.... greased," Bruce grinned, trying his best to use the appropriate terminology, still suggestive enough without resorting to blatant invitation. He honestly wasn’t sure anything aside from the standard baking terminology would ever be needed again.

"Well, that would make things go a little faster," Tony grinned and offered him another pan.

Bruce stayed close to Tony, taking the pan and leaning against him as he copied Tony's movements. It was quite different to the usual way they worked together, but still just as comforting and wonderful. It was just the exact same ‘coming home’ feeling that working in the lab would offered.

"I'm starting to think we'll have to bake more often."

"Cooking too, we haven't done enough of that either."

"Well, we're pretty busy. Work, and then the social aspect of it. The parties and the golfing and whatnot," Tony suddenly paused, looking up at Bruce thoughtfully. "How is it that you can make me want domesticity when all I’ve ever done is work and travel and party? Is domesticity even a real word?"

"I don't know," Bruce finished the pan and set it down, resting his chin on Tony's shoulder and leaning his head against Tony's. He knew Tony liked that - feeling him close and right there. It was satisfying, comforting and sweet. Bruce liked it just as much, of course, but he felt like it always meant more to Tony. "I just know that this is everything I needed."

Tony set the pan down too and turned just a little, just enough to lean more squarely against Bruce. At any given moment, Tony's attention could be in a dozen directions at once. He could be bouncing on his feet, he could very well be bouncing off the walls - sometimes literally - and almost from the beginning, Bruce had been able to calm him. To focus him, with a touch, a kiss, a gentle smile. Tony would visibly settle down, focus, turn to him, find some way to make it through to a central idea and go with that. "I need it too," Tony admitted at last, as though he'd never realized it before that moment. His eyes were so gentle and yet so intense, Bruce couldn't help but kiss his cheek lightly.

"I can't pretend to know why I make you want all of this, but you know I'm not a huge fan of the parties and all, I'd rather just have you," Bruce shrugged. He didn't care. He kept out of the spotlight, he kept out of the way - it was better for Tony's business and his own sanity that way. He could never guarantee that someone wouldn't seek him out to be an asshole, but he could make the chance asshole encounters a little slower.

"I know, Bruce. And you've been great for going to a few of them anyway and putting up with all the... socialising I did. I won't be doing that once we're married, by the way."

Socialising. Bruce knew what he meant - letting women hang all over him, letting them flirt and more. Okay - Bruce did not like it. Some of those the women Bruce had been very close to hating, but he knew logically that Tony couldn't be seen to change overnight without giving away that something else was going on. So he'd accepted that Tony had to do those kinds of things, because when it was all over, when the end of the night rolled around, Tony always went home with him. Kissed him. Slept curled up with him. Tony was his. "It didn't matter, Tony. Doesn't matter. I have the real you in my arms every night."

"It matters to me, Bruce. You've been so good about everything. So.... perfect. I want people to know that and to know they just can't brush past it, even if I'm wearing my game face," he smiled, turning a little more to be able to kiss Bruce softly. Lingering right there in the circle of Bruce’s arms and in that kiss, holding him in return.

Bruce took his time in kissing Tony, Inch by inch, little by little, feeling Tony press close and respond in kind. He loved every kiss that he shared with his lover and fiancé - from the briefest touch to those lingering, needy kisses. "I get the real you, I get the real Tony Stark. The one who occasionally sings for me, and watches westerns with me, and the one who eats from my plate while I steal from his. It's all been beautiful," Bruce shook his head and smiled. "It's only going to get more so."

"You will always have me. But... I don't want you to feel like you have to be on the sidelines when there's a spotlight, Bruce. I want to share it with you. And..." Tony paused, looking him in the eye. "I want everyone to know that we are... well. Us. That you come first for me."

Even though he wanted it so badly, the idea of the spotlight was the part he didn't like as much. Some habits were ridiculously hard to break - it had taken him a long time to stop looking over his shoulder when it came to certain people who wanted him captured, dead, or worse. "You know I'm not a big fan of the spotlight. You'll have to hold my hand a lot while I'm there."

"We're going to be one of those couples that drives everyone up the wall, aren't we?"

"Completely, and utterly, and I can't wait."

That made Tony laugh. "Oh really? You make me think you have something planned, Doctor."

"Well, there will be a new year’s party, right?" Bruce asked thoughtfully, cupping Tony's cheek with his less greasy hand. Really, there were some little thoughts and ideas that he'd been toying with. He knew he wanted to be out, for people to know just how much he was in love with Tony more than anything he'd ever wanted. He had to accept the spotlight to get that part of their relationship and that meant more than he'd ever expected. It meant being brave enough Enough to step into the spotlight no matter what that would mean on the other side.

"There will be, most definitely."

"Maybe we should get a second waistcoat made up on the theme. Just a plain red for you, plain green for me, and wear our wedding suits."

"I'm sure we can convince the tailor to add one more waistcoat each now that we've been through all the measurements. Speaking of measuring, we should probably start with the ingredients again before you lure me into more kisses again with your wicked ways," Tony grinned. Tony had been even more distractible since that afternoon when he'd proposed. But it was only for a few more days - then they'd be stopping all bedroom activities aside from sleeping until their wedding night. Bruce wondered if Tony was just trying to make up for those days they would miss in advance.

"You haven't heard the second part of my idea."

"Then you'd better tell me."

Bruce gave Tony his sweetest smile, shrugging just a little. "We release the photos of the wedding just in time to make the papers and the internet on New Year’s Eve, so everyone knows exactly which suits we're wearing." A way to confirm that yes it was true, it was them. That the photographs hadn’t been faked and that they were most definitely together no matter what the world thought.

Tony eyed him critically for a moment minute or three, and then broke out into a wide grin. "See, this is why I love you. You look so innocent when you're plotting these things."

"I'm completely innocent," Bruce said emphatically.

"And it's so believable too," Tony just kept grinning. He turned his head just enough to nip Bruce's hand before turning he turned back to the counter and the baking.

They spent some time measuring out ingredients, stirring the batter. It took twice as long as it should have if only because they still kept finding each other incredibly distracting. They spent half the time sharing kisses and holding each other.E Still, eventually they did manage to mix up the had cake batter and Tony looked over his shoulder to Bruce. "I don't think I've ever had this much fun baking before."

"I don't think I've had this much fun in a kitchen before. We need to do this again if it works."

"Of course it'll work. And practice makes perfect," Tony said, pouring batter into the waiting pans. Just enough so they wouldn't overflow if the batter hadn't been unknowingly compromised. He handed the bowl off to Bruce to fill the other pans, making sure that he stayed involved and felt included, watching him thoughtfully. He did like to watch Bruce, especially when he was trying something new. "Yeah, right there is full enough."

"Okay. Is the oven ready?"

"Yeah, it's been hot enough for a while there. We just... got a little distracted."

"Well, we had issues." The same issues they had with other things, like lab work. It was harder to stay focused and had been for the previous few days. Usually they were better at that but usually they had science to distract them from each other at least for a little while. The excitement and anticipation, not to mention all of the plans they had to make and resources they had to organise had left them even more open to distraction than usual.

"We did?" Tony asked, opening the oven and setting the pans inside. He turned them until he was satisfied and closed the door, patting the handle reassuringly before he stood.

As Tony took over the baking side again, Bruce began to gather things to deposit in the sink ready to be washed. "We're still addicted to each other."

"Well, that's a long term addiction. Less an issue and more a chronic and welcome distraction."

"So...” Bruce looked him over with a grin. “What are we going to do while we wait, my husband to be?"

"Well, there's the dishes, or, we could set the timer for twenty five minutes and go relax on the couch," Tony gestured to the door into the lounge, smiling. Never had the word ‘relax’ sounded like something so sinful, never had it sounded so full of promise and longing and lust.

"How about I do the dishes, you make us both a drink, and I'll be in in five minutes to put my wet hands in interesting places?" Bruce offered. He wanted to relax with Tony, but he knew that Tony hated the clean-up part of cooking and given that he didn’t mind it in the least and Tony had been so good at being inclusive, Bruce thought it was only fair that he take his turn.

"Cocoa with a little extra spice?"

"Sounds perfect."

Tony stole another kiss, lingering over it and pressing the full length of their bodies together. "I'll be waiting for you."

Bruce groaned softly. He was already rethinking his idea to do the cleaning at that moment with just that briefest frisson moment of contact. "I promise I won't be long."

"Mm, going to hold you to that," Tony kissed Bruce one last time before he pulled away. He took just enough time Long enough to make cocoa with a splash of brandy and then slippped out into the living room quietly.

It didn't take long for Bruce to finish the dishes and wipe the counters down, and when he came out of the kitchen, he found Tony reclining on the couch waiting for him just as he'd promised. He paused just for a moment, admiring his lover in private. Away from the maddening crowd, the flash photography and the ever-present breathless fans. Away from the well-tailored suits - even if he was in the now rather rumpled remnants of one of those suits - and the constant questions. Tony had always been handsome, whether he was in the sunlight, the spotlights or the shadows but Bruce always preferred him in the soft lights of the penthouse, if only because his smiles were real there.

Tony crooked a finger at him when Bruce didn't move as quickly as he wanted him to, beckoning him to the couch and down enough to share a cocoa flavoured kiss or two. Beautiful, perfect, adoring, trusting - Tony would give himself to Bruce over and over again with every kiss. 

Bruce had seen how hurt Tony had been in the past by his family, by Stane, by a lifetime of poor decisions and desperation, but Bruce had he'd found a way to heal those wounds. Somehow by just being himself, Bruce had made it better. Quiet, patient, caring and remarkably, that was just what Tony wanted and, more importantly, needed. "Mmm," Tony hummed contentedly, fingers curling into Bruce's hair "Our plans are coming together pretty well so far."

"They are. We still need to find someone to officiate, and possibly get someone to declare the cabin New York for at least as long as it takes to do the ceremony, I guess," Bruce snuggled against Tony's side, closing his eyes as Tony played with his hair. Tony had always had a thing for messing with his hair. He loved the feel of Tony's fingers there too, stroking and calming. It was one of those things that kept him in contact with himself after a transformation. One of the things that brought him back and kept him sane.

"Mm, I'll bug Fury to help with that, but maybe JARVIS can run the search for an official we can get on short notice who will sign an NDA."

"We'll need caterers and somewhere for them and the official to stay, too," Bruce offered, running through his mental checklist. He took a sip of cocoa, the sweet chocolate and alcohol warming him all the way down almost as well as Tony's kisses would. Almost.

"Mm, Tomorrow," Tony promised, coaxing Bruce down into another soft kiss of longing and need. "I'll handle that tomorrow."

Bruce He set the mug down, wrapped both arms around his fiancé and pulled Tony as close as he could, already tracing Tony's tongue with his lips. It was so easy to get lost in kissing Tony, in loving and touching and being with him, that he didn’t notice the little distress call from the oven. Tony missed it completely as well, and it was only when JARVIS Jarvis prompted them several minutes later that Bruce pulled away. “We got… a little distracted.”

“Mm, maybe a little…” Tony paused, the flashing light on a pop up screen nearby finally catching his attention. “Crap.”

He pulled away from Bruce - still reluctantly, still keeping his hands on his lover for as long as physically possible as he stood - and finally rushed to the kitchen. After a moment to adjust certain areas, Bruce rolled to his feet from the couch and followed him, curious, "What is it?"

"We seem to have an overflow problem," Tony said, turning off the oven. He swore colourfully, tugging the door open and surveying the damage. Some of the batter had overflowed from the pans, dripping down the inside of the oven and forming a baked coating across the bottom of the oven. Tony grabbed an oven glove, pulling the pans out and tossing them onto the heat protected counter to survey the damage and the left over from the pans. "No no no," he said, to the oven. Some of the appliances were... semi aware. Not quite as advanced as Dum-E and nowhere near as complete as JARVIS, but responsive to Tony's commands. Bruce was still sure the toaster was jealous of him some mornings. "This is not your fault, clearly there was some sort of... hyper reactivity going on. We'll get it fixed."

"Hyper reactivity?" Bruce echoed, as Tony grabbed a couple of silicone scrapers from the drawer of utensils and started trying to clean off the base of the oven once the oven had pronounced itself safe enough to touch.

"We got too much rise in the batter somehow," he said, sounding faintly annoyed. It was to be expected when he was half undressed and having to scrape half-cooked cake out of off a panicking oven. He looked up; still a little angry but his eyes met Bruce's and softened in a heartbeat. "Even the cake gets all excited when you're involved," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Maybe it is my fault. All those times I told you had an ass like a cupcake?" he suggested. There had been precisely four times. The first time he'd been drinking champagne and watching while Tony and Clint tried to teach Thor how to play pool. They hadn't been together long at that point and he'd had to spend all evening watching his new boyfriend or lover bending over a pool table in very, very tight jeans.

Tony laughed. "Maybe so. But if this is what comes of our wedding cake recipe, I think we're going to need a baker to go along with the caterer. Here," he offered the second spatula to Bruce. "Help me with this."

Bruce took it and knelt down beside Tony to begin. "Let's just hire one. It's one less thing for us to worry about getting ready."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Was a fun idea though, wasn't it? We'll have to try this again." Tony sounded so disappointed that Bruce nearly changed his mind right then. However they’d have final decorations to make, they still weren’t sure what kind of facilities the kitchen would have and just when the caterers would need it, and they had things to worry about like getting dressed, getting presents ready, the logistics of bringing everyone in… it was possibly too much to handle in those last few days.

"If only to figure out what went wrong,” Bruce suggested. Likening it to chemistry had left a niggling thought in his head that made him at least want to succeed in their efforts. But there would be time for that later.

"Too much leavening. Not sure how, since I double checked the measurements in between kisses."

"Maybe next time, something that doesn't involve baking," Bruce suggested, taking a moment to kiss Tony's cheek with a smile.

"Or.... we could get rid of all our... distractions beforehand."

"Get rid of all of our distractions. Riiiight," Bruce said skeptically. There was no way that was going to happen before the wedding. And at least for several months afterwards.

"We just wouldn't be able to take our usual nap right after the distraction part."

Bruce considered their usual love-making sessions. They were... vigorous lovers. After the first few tentative weeks, they had never been shy about what they wanted, needed and enjoyed. And yes, Bruce had had issues in the past with physical reactions but those issues were over long before he and Tony got together. "But we would need to be able to walk."

"Only as far as the kitchen. We could manage that," Tony paused, looking a little skeptical of his own words, and then added "If we had sex in the hall."

"Sex against the wall."

Tony eyed him critically, his lips curling into a smirk. "You aren't even slightly interested in cooking at this point, are you?"

"Just... fantasizing," Bruce said, remembering the comment Tony had made a couple of days before when they'd talked about 'saving themselves' for the wedding night.

Tony laughed, looking over the oven. It was mostly clean, the worst of the baked on cake scraped away enough that the oven could clean itself at least. He took the spatula from Bruce, throwing it and his own into the sink and stood, offering his lover a hand. "Well. We do need to get ourselves cleaned up now, too," he said, the note of suggestion strong in his voice.

Bruce looked up at him, taking his hand and standing too. "Good idea," he grinned.


End file.
